Tests continue on cave's human remains
It is likely to take several months to find out the origins of human skeletal remains which were found in caves on the Shropshire border, police said today.
Officers at Dyfed-Powys Police say the remains found at Llanymynech Caves could be archaeological as the site was once a Roman copper mine. Ongoing tests are being carried out to try to date the remains, which could take several weeks.
The force has asked forensic experts to carry out tests on the remains, which were found by metal detecting enthusiasts earlier this month.
Force spokeswoman Sharon Reynolds said: "The remains are being examined by forensic experts to help determine the significance of this find, and whether they could be archaeological.
"That could take a long time."
Shropshire Councillor for Llanymynech Arthur Walpole said at the time the find was intriguing.
He said: "We are already interested in the social history of the site and it will be interesting to see what this can perhaps tells us about the site and what it can add to what we know already about the area.
"We know there was a large Roman camp in the area and hopefully this could add to our understanding.
"I think this could be interesting and significant not just locally but for the wider area and could create further interest in the site."
A number of Roman artefacts have been found in the mine previously, including a number of bones and burials,
A hoard of 30 first and second century silver coins of Roman currency was found in 1965 by some schoolboys, and they are now conserved at the National Museum of Wales.
The find in Llanymynech Caves was the second mystery find of human remains in the Oswestry area in recent months.
A human skull was found on Sweeney Mountain in Oswestry in November.
An inquest earlier this month said the identity of the remains discovered by a dog during a pheasant shooting party is still a mystery.
But experts believe the bones belonged to man, of Afro Caribbean origin, aged 25 to 45, who died after 1963.
What killed the man is not known but a pathologist found holes that could have been made with tools before or after death.
It is believed the skull could be a trophy brought back from Africa or the Caribbean.
